22 Year Old German Tourist alleges Cristmas Night Rape

A 22-year-old woman accused Somchai Jamnongwaree, the owner of a local liquor shop, of raping her when she met him on Tuesday night.

RAYONG: Police on Thursday arrested a 42-year-old man on charges of raping a German tourist in his liquor shop in Klaeng district of this eastern province on Christmas night.

The 22-year-old woman accused Somchai Jamnongwaree, or Mor Jamnongwaree, the owner of a local liquor shop, of raping her when she met him on Tuesday night.

Mr Somchai denied all charges, saying the woman was willing to have sex with him

The alleged incident occurred at Mr Somchai’s shop which was located near the beach behind the Novotel Rim Pae Resort in tambon Chark Pong, where the tourist stayed, said Pol Lt Col Suparb Nakthong, chief of investigation at Ban Krum station.

The officer quoted the woman as saying that Mr Somchai gave her local lao khao (or white liquor), otherwise known as Thai vodka, to drink and she became drunk and passed out. She found herself lying naked in a room behind the man’s shop the next morning. She asked whether the man sexually violated her and he admitted to having had sex with her. She then went to the local police station to file a complaint against him.

Mr Somchai, a Rayong native, introduced himself as “Cowboy” when he met the woman, Pol Lt Col Suparb added. He was charged with sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.

The Daily News reported the woman traveled to Rayong with a tour group and stayed at the Novotel Rim Pae Resort. On Tuesday night, she strolled down the beach and met Mr Somchai.

Mr Somchai denied all charges, saying the woman was willing to have sex with him. He claimed he and woman drank until they were both drunk and fell asleep inside the shop. He claimed he had sex with her without physical force.

According to witnesses – operators of speed boats and banana boats in the area – the suspect had a habit of inviting foreign woman tourists to visit local attractions on his motorcycle sidecar. He then invited them to drink lao khao with him at his shop. Sometimes their husbands came to look for them when they were sleeping with Mr Somchai in his room. The German woman was the first to go to the police, witnesses said.

A source close to the German woman said she had telephoned her parents in Germany and informed them about the incident. Her parents were preparing to come to Thailand with a lawyer.